LOA’s “Legacy Logistics Ladies” Interview Series
Interview with: Lieutenant General Terry L. Gabreski (Ret)
By: Captain Damiqua "Champ" Champion
BACKGROUND:
Lieutenant General Terry L. Gabreski was the second woman to hold the rank of Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force. She was the Vice Commander, Air Force Materiel Command (WPAFB, Ohio) which conducts research, development, test and evaluation, and provides acquisition management and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war. A career Aircraft Maintenance officer, she was the U.S. Air Force's highest-ranking active duty woman until retiring on January 1, 2010.
She is the daughter of retired Air Force Brigadier General, Alonzo Walter and the daughter-in-law of World War II and Korean War fighter ace, Colonel Gabby Gabreski.
Exceptional Release: What’s your story? How did you get into logistics?
Lieutenant General Terry L. Gabreski (Ret): I decided, when I went to LSU, that I wanted to be President of the United States. I looked at the fact that most of those people were lawyers. So, I was accepted to LSU Law School (minored in English). When I went home, I say to my parents, ‘Guess what?! I was excepted to LSU Law School!’. My father looks at me and said, “How do you think you’re going to pay for that?”. Well, I decided that I would apply to the Air Force FLEP. I applied to OTS so I could later apply to FLEP, which is where I received my assignment as an Avionics Officer.
I learned early that the Air Force will train you to do what they want you to do. Being a history major I am a huge testament to that. By the time it was my first opportunity to apply for FLEP, I was already having too much fun as a maintenance officer!
ER: How important was it to see your parents serve in the USAF and did that impact your decision at all?
Gabreski: Very important. My parents met at WPAFB where my mother was serving as a Second Lieutenant Air Force Nurse; my father had just returned from the Korean War and was attending AFIT. I remember one summer, when my father was the Wing Commander at Homestead AFB, they were deploying a squadron of F-4 Phantoms to Vietnam. Just across the runway, the Loggies and Maintainers were boarding C-141s for aircraft support. As I am standing there on the flight line, I start to take in all of these families cheering on the F-4s as they taxied toward the runway, not knowing if they would ever see their loved ones again. It was at that point where I thought to myself, ‘This is a pretty special way of life’. That was a defining moment for me.
ER: What woman inspires/inspired you and why?
Gabreski: Definitely my mother. She got up enough gumption to leave a small town like Altoona, PA and join the Air Force as one of the first USAF Flight Nurses. Since when my mother joined, women had to resign their Commission when they became pregnant, I was her reason to leave the Air Force. So, not only did she choose [what was considered] this wildly unusual career during that time, she spent the rest of my father’s career being this amazing Air Force representative.
ER: How do you balance being a mother and a professional? Have you ever had to sacrifice anything personally or professionally?
Gabreski: No, I don’t feel like I ever did. My husband and I made the boys part of every assignment, and thought it was important that they experienced all the places we lived. I believe the most important thing we give our children is that nuclear family, especially in the Air Force.
ER: When you began your career, did you ever imagine that you would be where you are today?
Gabreski: I never thought about it, quite frankly. I was very focused on my job at the time; some of which required more attention than the others. But, interestingly enough, people who knew me in tech school were shocked to meet me as a Captain four years later; they were pretty sure I would not be in the Air Force anymore ((laughs)). Mainly because the career field was heavily technical and there I was, with a bachelor’s degree in history. At the beginning of tech school, our instructor asked whether any one of us did NOT have a degree in electrical engineering. I raised my hand and his next question was what exactly did I know about electronics. At that point, I walked over to the light switch and flipped it “on” then “off” again. That was the extent of what I knew. I tell that story because I was truly fortunate to have so much support in making it through that and so many assignments after.
ER: What motivates you today or what has motivated you in the past?
Gabreski: I really love the work. It has always been motivational to me to approach a challenge, figure out what needs to be done. Then, put your head down and decide you are going to do it! I remember being on the PACAF Staff and we had a maintenance unit at Clark AB in the Philippines that was really having some challenges. It turns out, during their ORI they had generated aircraft to the wrong DOC Statement. I was sent to command that squadron. You talk about what motivates you. Here’s a challenge: 900 people in this squadron and we had to be ready to redo the ORI in four months. So, we started with the basics, discipline, and reminding people that they were Air Force Airmen. Once we completed the ORI, we had generated 24 aircraft! And you would not have seen a prouder group of people; they were proud of themselves!
ER: How has the Air Force and the field of logistics changed since you began your career?
Gabreski: Well, we have gone from maintenance being owned by maintainers, to being owned by Ops, and then returning maintenance to maintenance. But, in the big picture, our core values have always been the same; they underlay everything we do. I always remind young airmen, the one thing they can be sure of is CHANGE. Whether that pertains to funding levels or your PCS assignment, you have to be able to adapt and overcome.
ER: Looking ahead, what challenges do you see the logistics field facing?
Gabreski: Looking at the U.S. Air Force across the board, funding is going to be a challenge. For logistics, retention of skilled and trained personnel is an on-going issue. We are seeing the same retention challenges in Air Force Reserve and Guard components as in active duty. An additional challenge will be keeping a motivated force in the face of continued deployments.
ER: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?
Gabreski: When I saw that question, I sort of took exception to it. It’s like I’ve said many times, these are not MY accomplishments. So instead, I rearranged that question in my mind to reflect on the major opportunities the Air Force has given me. It starts from when I was a Second Lieutenant as an Air Training Officer at the USAFA when Congress opened up all service academies to women. In 1976 they showed up and graduated in 1980, which by the way, General Wolfenbarger was a part of that class. Being one of twelve Air Training Officers was an awesome opportunity. I was able to receive my Jump Wings and do things that women were not able to do at that time. That was just the beginning of the many opportunities the Air Force gave me.
ER: What advice would you give to the next generation of female ALL leaders?
Gabreski: For ALL leaders, I would say, get in there and learn your job! I was at AFA Fall 2018 when Lieutenant General John Thompson gave the best advice on this topic. He said, ‘Do your homework’. To me, that means we stop waiting on people to tell us what we need to do. We should get in there and figure it out. When our new maintenance reg 66-5 came out, I read it and other regulations from cover to cover because they tell you exactly what you are supposed to do in your job. Along with that, I paid attention and watched different types of leaders.
Additionally, understand what your job is and don’t be afraid to jump into unfamiliar circumstances. Some of the best advice my father my father gave me was, “Never miss a chance to shut up”. I say that because sometimes we feel we need to talk more than we listen. So, when I say that it means: Listen just as much as you talk.
Lastly, do not close your mind to the things that the Air Force is asking you to do. We all signed up to do what the Air Force asks of us and that has to come first: the needs of the Air Force.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
